One is all it Takes - To go back
by Ammirra
Summary: One to go back, to follow, to want, to hate, to belong, to run, to miss. One thing is all it takes to make it... or break it. This is a story of how one thing pulls a pining mother, and an unsuspecting Inu Diayoukia into each others lives. OC X Sesshōmaru
1. To go back I

One Is All It Takes

Synopsis: One to go back, to follow, to want, to hate, to belong, to run, to miss. One thing is all it takes to make it... or break it. This is a story of how one thing pulls a pining mother, and an unsuspecting Inu Diayoukia into each others lives. OC X Sesshōmaru

Rating: M for nudity, later sexual content, harsh language and violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

A/N: hello. After... three years I'm back! I've decided to begin anew with this story. Why? First, because it's been three years. Second, I've changed a few things here and there in the earlier chapters, as well as combined them for larger chapters. My other stories I'm leaving as they are, for now. I may get back to them, I may just end up discontinuing them, I do not know at this point.

I could go on about the reasons why I've been gone... but really it just amounts to life being life. So, on to the story, yes?

* * *

_**One is All it Takes - To go back I**_

She was running, a three year old girl clutched to her. Behind her she heard the screams of her sisters and mother, but there was nothing she could do. There was a man running along side her, but she could not look at him. She had not been able to look at him for a long time.

Her long hair shot out behind her as she continued to run. The girl was beginning to wake, and pulled on her sleeve, wanting to know what was going on. She hushed the child, and continued to run, able to hear their pursuers catching up. Desperate to protect the still groggy child she ran faster, only to feel her foot catch on the curb as she came off the road onto the sidewalk across the street. She held back her dismayed cry as she fell forward, twisting her body awkwardly so the girl would not be crushed.

The man came to a stop, several feet ahead of her, and then bolted back. He helped her to her feet again, and shoved something in her hand, his mouth moving rapidly.

Her eyes were wide; clearly surprised he would help her. He shouted at her to get moving, and she nodded, looking one last time at him, and then their pursuers, before she began to run again. She could not help but look over her shoulder, and saw him crumple after being hit by a blue light. Tears came freshly to her eyes. In a desperate ploy to get away she dug deep into herself, and called to something there.

Almost instantly she felt her senses sharpen, and strength return. Her speed increased greatly, and she soon could barely hear those who pursued her. She slowed, looking over her shoulder tentatively. They were still there, but they were in dead falling behind. Setting her jaw she changed course slightly, and continued running.

When she came to bridge she veered away, going down to the water below it. They were still following, she could smell it. So she had no choice, as they had started to gain on them again. Looking at the thing she had been given, a strange pendant, she slipped it around the girl's neck, urging her to remain quiet.

Then she walked with the girl right to the edge of the water. She was murmuring something under her breath, as she lowered the girl so her feet where just above the water. "Please, please just remember my face," she pleaded, before letting the girl go completely.

The child was engulfed in a purple light, which soon disappeared. When it was gone, there was no child, only the woman with her tear streaked face. Hearing those who hunted her sliding down towards her, she turned, and ran out over the shallow water, and up the other side. She continued to run into the night.

* * *

"Noriyuune-sama," a man dressed in white dress shirt, black slacks and a long tailed black blazer spoke softly to the woman sitting in the seat by the window. "The pilot has informed me we are set to begin our landing soon."

The woman was looking out the window with her strange indigo eyes. She was supporting her slim face with a pale, delicate hand. Upon each check bone was a sea green strip. On her fore head sat a four point star; a diamond with concave sides. Between each point of the star was an elliptical petal in the same green shade.

When the man spoke she turned her head to him, causing her long silvery violet hair to shift about her shoulders. "Thank you, Alder. You may take your seat," her voice was kind, but she did not smile at him. In fact, she was pressing her lips together, brow knitting in a frown

"Of course," he gave a bow at his waist, causing his long, reddish blonde ponytail to slip over his shoulder. Straightening he quickly moved through the private plane to his seat, were he proceeded to buckle himself in.

She watched him for a moment, before pulling her own seat-belt over her frame. That done her eyes immediately returned to the window. _It has been five years since I left_, she mused to herself. Five years traveling the world, and she still had not found what she was looking for. Biting her lip she soon was aware of the familiar taste of copper. Sighing, her small tongue pushed past her lips, licking away the blood.

Closing her eyes she took several deep breaths. As she did so she brushed her hair aside to reveal one pointed ear. The tips of her clawed fingers touched the ear lightly as she continued to breathe deeply. As she felt the plane start it's descent the always strange feeling of folding in on herself enveloped her senses. Slowly her ear reshaped itself, till the point was gone. Her fingernails receded somewhat, no longer such a menacing length. The strips, and green mark on her forehead, faded into her skin, which became just slightly more flushed. Last off all was her hair. She could feel it's length receding, until it was of shoulder-blade length. The silvery stuff steadily darkened in colour, and the violet shade disappeared.

As the plane touched down the woman was now black haired, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal brown eyes. _This still is so uncomfortable_, she thought to herself. Sighing she gazed out the window once more, seeing the pavement speed beneath the plane until it finally came to a stop. Once it did she unclipped her seat belt, and was immediately on her feet.

At current she was dressed in a white blouse, with a grey blazer over top. She wore a slightly darker grey pencil skirt, reaching around her knees, and beige stockings. Rather than heels, the woman wore a pair of simple black flats. She straightened her skirt a little, before retrieving her briefcase. From inside she pulled out a few hair pins, quickly twister her hair up into a bun.

She had been traveling the world looking into ancient legends and artefacts. After coming through the incident that had taken her family from her, she had went right a large company known as Fumetsu Inc. Fumetsu was a powerful company in Japan, with many facets... clothing, food, video games, but the main part was actually unseen by the humans. She'd gone first for protection, and then because she had hoped they would help her find her daughter. She had not intended to get a job there, but they offered, and she took the opportunity. They said she could travel were she pleased, as long as he returned to Tokyo every five years… so here she was.

She was dreading stepping off that plane. She knew it was very likely the media would be there, waiting to interview her. Five years ago they had never gotten the chance; she had been under the protection of Fumetsu, and then slipped out of the country soon after. Unfortunately, that just made it worse now. They would have far too many questions after five years of no real answers on what had happened.

She sighed, and turned to walk through the plane towards the was standing, waiting near the lowering stairs for her to proceed him out of the plan. She did so without so much of a sidelong glance at her servant. The moment she stepped in front of him she could hear the sounds of cameras. Cursing silently, and taking another deep breath, she stepped onto the stairs and proceeded to descend. As discretely as she could, she cast her gaze about to try and see what had happened to security.

They were there, each one of them wearing a badge from her company... but the sheer number of reporters was apparently beyond what they could handle. She was almost instantly bombarded by questions.

"Rezei-san, how does it feel to be back in Japan for the first time in five years?" was predominant at first.

"It is nice to be back were I was born," she replied to that one. There were others she chose not to answer. Most of which having to do about the night her family was murdered, or if she was upset that there were still no leads on the case. The security personal moved into action the best they could, trying to push back the reporters, but they kept ducking under, or forcing past where they could.

Then it came, the one question she just couldn't handle. "Rezei-san, what of the case on your missing daughter?"

She stopped right were she was, midway through taking a step. She felt it flare out of her, even though she tried to keep it from doing so. The nearest camera cracked, startling the reporters. "That is none of your business," she said coolly, regaining most of her composure. Hell, she hoped her pupils hadn't become slits during her brief lapse in control.

Using the shock of the press to their advantage, security finally managed to open a clear path to the waiting limo, which she took. Alder stayed a few steps behind her, until they reached the vehicle, where he stepped forwards to open the door for her. She slipped inside quickly, the man closing the door behind her. As soon as it was closed, she leaned against the cool tinted window with a sigh of relief.

Rezei… she had not heard her surname in a quite some time. Of course, the surname was only for fitting in to human society. She never gave it out when she was on her trips, choosing to go by her first name alone. Or, in some cases, a part of her first name, as some people just did not have the patience for the whole thing. As she absently mulled over this, the glass between the back of the limo slide down, revealing the face of her servant. She became aware that the radio was on, before he had a chance to speak.

'The Rezei plane has been reported having touched down. Rezei, Noriyuune…'

"Turn it off," she called up to the driver, a plump brunette man, who did as he was told. Alder pursed his lips, before closing the partition again, figuring his mistress would rather be left to her own company. The limo was moving by now, and she closed her eyes tiredly, not really interested in the scenery they were passing. The cool glass felt good against her cheek until it began to warm form her body heat

Sighing she leaned back into her seat, although it was a tad awkward with her hair in a bun. "Of all the questions," she mumbled aloud, without meaning to. Leaning forward, she reached out and quickly pulled the pins from her hair, sliding them back into her breifcase. She was returning to Japan having failed to find a way to her daughter, she did not like the reporters reminding her of that failure. With an aggravated groan, she allowed her body to slid to the side, so she was lying on the seat instead.

She remained as she was for some time, dozing off after awhile. When she awoke she wrinkled her nose. The air in the vehichle was to... stifling to her. She had never liked cars very much. Or planes... or really any modern mode of transportation. Pushing herself up on her hands, she reached out with her right hand to press the intercom button. "How long till we change vehicles?" she asked tiredly.

"We are nearly at the switching point," came the soothingly familiar voice of Alder moments later. Alder had served her family for many long years, and continued to serve her well. He was old, very old, but his hair was only now greying.

She found his loyalty a little surprising, when she stopped to think of what he was. The man was not a man, but a youkia; a cross between a snake and a fox youkia to be exact. If you knew that you could pick up the slight hiss that was always present in his voice. As a child she had found the hiss disturbing, and she had mistrusted him. However she had many reasons to give him full trust now.

"Thank you," she said softly, before releasing the intercom button and allowing her frame to fall back onto the seat. Absently she wondered where they were switching, and with a groan she pushed herself back up into a sitting position. Noriyuune turned her head to look out the dark glass, blinking in mild surprise. They must have been driving for some time, as they were currently on a residential street. She watched as steps leading up to a shrine soon came into view, and felt like gagging. To her distress the Limo came to a stop. Why the hell were they stopping in front of a shrine?

* * *

A frustrated girl pulled herself up a ladder and out of well. "Stupid Inuyasha," she mumbled as she made her way out of the well house, black hair swaying with the movement. She half ran to the house in the shrine grounds. "I'm home!" she called when she reached the door.

"Oh! Kagome!" came a female voice, soon after a woman peeked out from the kitchen to look at the teen.

"Mama!" Kagome greeted her happily. She smelled something good.

"Your just in time for breakfast," Kagome's mother told her. "Come, eat," she ushered her daughter into the kitchen.

"Neesan," a young boy greeted, "your back."

"Hey, Souta," Kagome greeted her little brother. He grinned at her, as she took her seat at the table. She looked at the elder man who sat there was well, "Hey Jii-chan."

"Welcome back, Kagome," he returned her greeting. The family was soon seated, and digging into their meal. No one really spoke.

"Kagome, If you hurry you can still make it to school today," Kagome's mother told her, as the girl began ot gather up her dishes. "I'll take care of the dishes."

"Thanks, Mama," The teen said before rushing up the stairs to her room. She closed the door, and quickly changed into her school uniform, which had been in the wash when she'd gone through the well this last time. She grabbed her back, and through open the door to rush down the stairs. "I'm off!" she called as she hurried to the door, quickly jamming her feet into her shoes. She slid the front door open, an dashed out, her feet moving quickly over the ground as she headed for the steps. She didn't slow down much as her foot came down on the first step.

When she reached the bottom she turned rather sharply, and then fell back with a startled shout after colliding with someone. She looked up, rubbing her bottom a little, "I'm so sorry!" Kagome stammered out an apology, before getting to her feet. Almost as an afterthought, she looked towards whomever she'd collided with. She blinked in utter shock at the person she saw. She knew who this was... in fact, most of Japan did. She'd been on the news five years ago for over a month, after the disaster that had befallen her family... and her likeness had appeared frequently on the news this past week, as word spread that she would be returning to the country.

Noriyuune was surprised when a girl ran right into her, knocking her of balance, though she didn't fall. She nearly snapped at the girl in a green and white school uniform… until she caught a peculiar scent coming off of her. Straightening herself she brushed out her skirt as the girl apologized, trying to identify the scent. "It's alright, " She said when she noticed the girl was staring at her with her chocolate coloured eyes. Noriyuune found herself frowning slightly. Was she really _that _ well known? "What's your name?"

Kagome blinked at the question, but responded without hesitation "Higurashi, Kagome."

The woman offered her a smile, "Well, Higurashi-san. It was nice bumping into you. Maybe I'll see you again during my stay." She started to turn then, heading towards a little purple car, before stopping to look back at the teen "Oh… please don't tell anyone you saw me."

"Ye-yes, of course, Rezei-san," Kagome stammered. Then she looked at her watch, "Oh no… I'm late. Bye!" With that the teen hastily turned and rushed down the street. _Something felt a little strange about her_… the girl thought as she continued to rush to school.

Noriyuune watched Kagome for a moment, frown presenting itself. her eyes soon turned to her servant, who was standing beside the waiting car. "Alder, could you smell it? She had a faint scent of youkia, and a hanyou coming off her," He nodded to confirm he had also smelt it. "Yet I can tell she is a human girl." Again her servant nodded, before pulling open the door and offering her a slight bow.

She sighed, and closed the distance between herself in the car, sliding once more into the back seat. Alder closed the door for her, before making his way around the vehicle to the driver side door. Alder quickly slide into the driver seat, sliding the key into the ignition and starting the car. "There aren't any Hanyou's in this area," Noriyuune spoke softly.

"There are none," Alder confirmed with a slight nod, pulling away from the side walk.

She sighed, tucking some of her silky hair behind her ear, "So then why would she have that smell coming off her," she mused absently.

"She must have recently been in contact with one," Alder pointed out the obvious, dark green eyes momentarily flickering to her through the rear-view mirror.

"I know that," the woman muttered in response, nibbling on her bottom lip. "The smell is fresh enough that the contact must have been very recent, yet I can smell no trail from the hanyou she was in contact with." There was no scent of hanyou any were else in the neighbor hood.

"I do not know, Noriyuune-sama," Alder answered, coming to a stop at a red light.

"Perhaps my nose is not strong enough as I am," She murmured. Another possibility occurred to her, however. She tried to brush it aside, but it kept tugging at her mind.

_Why else would she have such a smell coming off her, with the smell of youkia as well? _This girl could be doing the very thing she had been trying to accomplish for five years.

* * *

A/N: Well there we have it, the first chapter of the rewrite, which covers the prologue and first chapter of the old one. Without the title and A/Ns the chapter is 3,110 words long, which is as short as any of the chapters in the rewrite are going to be. In fact, the rest _will_ all be longer. For those of you who read the old story, you'll probably notice where it's exactly the same as before... the next three chapters will be similar to this, the content not much changing.

The next chapter _will_, without a doubt, be up september 14th, so until then, ta ta~


	2. To go back II

One is All it Takes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha

A/N: Well here is the second chapter, as I promised it.

* * *

_**One is All it Takes - To go back II**_

Noriyunne leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She sat at a mahogany desk, in a black office chair. On the desk in front of her sat a plethora of papers, scrolls and books. All resources relating to the Higurashi shrine. She was looking for anything that might help explain the scent coming from the girl, Kagome. However she found she could not concentrate on any of the items in front of her. Sighing she rubbed her temples lightly, though it really didn't help. She had a headache.

The majority of her pain was coming from the center of her forehead. She brought her hand there and rubbed the spot were her crest would have been. None of her markings were currently present. _Curse this infernal conflicting blood_, her mind hissed as she continued to rub the sensitive spot with two fingers.

She had run into the girl again yesterday, after getting a few groceries. It had been a full week since she had first arrived in Tokyo. She had immediately noticed the Hanyou scent was still there, but it was much fainter. She had managed to have a chat with the girl as she walked to where Alder had parked the car. It was then that she had felt the spark of miko powers in Kagome.

This had instantly sent off alarm bells... but the girl seemed unaware that she was of demonic origin. From talking to the teen she did not think she was like the group of spiritualists and slayers that had caused the downfall of her family. She was more powerful, naturally, than they had been; even at her tender age. She also came off as a very tender young woman. Tender and forgiving almost to a fault.

Noriyuune let out a low growl. Her pink lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing off her white fangs. The sides of her neck itched, and she lowered her hand so she could scratch one of the offending spots. A strip of scales adorned either side of her neck, angling down from just under her ears, stopping about midway down her throat. As she scratched she felt some of the scales pull away, falling to her lap. She groaned, reaching down to sweep the scales away from her lap, before she began to absently play with the ends of her hair. Hair that was currently a darker violet shade than usual, and was about waist length. She was in what she called her 'half' phase. Hanyou. Aggravating. Her indigo eyes glared down at her desk, as she reached up to touch one of two silver furred ears. The ears were of feline origin, a lynx as a matter of fact. Extending from the tip of each was a tuft of violet hued fur. _I hate this! _She inwardly whined, pinching the offending ear harshly.

_Even being in human form is better than this body!_ Her thoughts were violent, her other hand digging into the wood of her desk. Roughly the woman pushed her chair back, rising to her feet with such force she nearly knocked it over. It was always like this. As she began to pace she let out another growl, glaring at anything her eyes fell on. She always pouted, paced, snarled and snapped at anyone nearby. This body made her feel very moody for reasons beyond her. It was possibly because she had no control over when she was in this form; it happened almost erratically. She could guess the week in which the period would fall, but that was about it. It could also be because the transformation somehow messed around with her hormonal balance. She'd never really looked into the matter.

She took this form for three hours approximately every four and half moon cycles. After that she would find herself in her human body, and unable to shift to her youkia self. She would be in that body for nearly a full day, as she waited for her youkia blood slowly regained power after the first six hours. Most of the time she was able to keep herself in human form during this time, and she gladly did so. Anything to avoid being in her damn hanyou form; even if it meant being in the vulnerable human form. That was frustrating too, but at least she was used to being in a human body… more so than that of a hanyou.

She finally stopped her pacing, looking at the fireplace in the study. This room had been her fathers study. That fact momentarily caused a pain in her chest. "Oh otou-sama," she whined aloud. There was a portrait of him holding her as a new born hanging above the mantle. His silver hair was long at the time, reaching about his shoulders. He was dressed in a black suit, though his tie was lose. There was a look of wonderment in his eyes as he looked down at the babe he held. Tears briefly gathered in Noriyuune's own eyes, and she masterfully fought them back. If only her father had accepted her kitten sooner. Perhaps she would not be without the child now... or the rest of her family.

She knew why he could not accept the child easily, however. It had to do with the circumstances of her conception, and the blood the child had inherited. She turned her head to the side, seeing the smaller portrait of herself. She was holding a one year old girl with black locks and chocolate brown eyes. The child looked completely human. That was the biggest problem... or so she had always beleived.

Inevitably this brought her to a painful train of thought, and she shook it aside, looking back at her father's portrait. Her father had been a full youkia. One of few in this day and age. Her mother had been a hanyou. Though she inherited more youkia blood from her mother than human blood, the amount of human blood was enough to cause her occasional _issue_. She growled again, bearing her teeth. This action made her realize her fangs were gone.

She reached up tentatively for the lynx ears, to find that they were gone as well. Sighing in relief she left the room, looking down the dark hallway."Alder," she called softly, knowing he would hear her anyway.

He was immediately by her side, dressed the same was he always was. Sometimes she wondered if he washed his clothes every day, or if he had a closet full of the same suit. "Yes, Noriyuune-sama?"

"Could you ready the car?" She asked him softly, her still indigo eyes looking into his deep green ones.

Alder frowned at her request, his eyes full of disapproval. "It is highly unadvisable for you to leave the house at this time. You can not rely on your youki for protection in your current state." He was almost fixing her with a glare.

"I know that!" she snapped it him irritably. His protectiveness was aggravating at times. He continued to look at her sternly, cuasing her to let out a sigh, "Alright. Bring my dinner to the study. I will dine there."The man nodded easily at her words, and she saw his lips twitch upward for the briefest of moments. She rolled her eyes at him, "After that you are to prepare the car." She was not going to give up that easily.

Instantly his frown was back. "Noriyuune-sama, as a friend and vassal to your late father, I can not let you leave alone, in your present condition," Alder hissed softly. His eyes showed a hint of red, and he looked at her almost menacingly now. Guilt _and_ intimidation? This was new.

She met his glare without back down. "I am very aware of that, Alder. I wish to go for a drive none the less." The mistress placed a hand on her hip, glaring up at her servant. "I am, however, not fool enough to leave on my own, you silly old snake." Without breaking eye contact, she turned to re enter the study. "You will accompany of course. I can trust you, can I not?" She kept her eyes on him, one hand on the door frame.

Alder blinked, and then resisted the urge to sigh in relief. "Of course, Noriyuune-sama" the hiss in his voice was barely noticeable now, once more his lips quirking just slightly upward. "I will return with your meal shortly." He gave her a respectful bow, and then turned and left her to her own devices.

The hybrid looked after him for a moment, and then slipped fully back into the study. "stubborn old fool," she mused to herself as she returned to the desk. Now that the infuriating time as a hanyou was nearly over she felt she might be able to concentrate on her research now. Rubbing her temples again she slid back into a chair, pulling it forward. Noriyuune then began to leaf through the various papers, looking for something, anything that was promising. Finding a document that looked so, she pushed the others aside. She did not even notice Alder enter the room with a tray of food.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. When she looked up, he set the tray down on a section of her desk that was clear of papers. "The car will be ready when you finish your meal," He informed her simply. She merely nodded in acknowledgement, eyes flicking back to what she was reading. He then bowed his head, and left again. Absently she began chewing on a piece of bread as her eyes flew over the words. She was soon so immersed in it that she did not even realize what it was she was eating. By the time she finished reading she looked rather appalled. "All this time," her voice was bitter as she stood up.

Her answer had been right in front of her the whole time. She just never bothered to look. This was infuriating… but it was too late to rectify. All she could do was use this option now that she had found it… and hope it was not too late for her kitten.

Frowning at that thought she wondered how she could achieve this. Mumbling to herself, she left the tray were it was, and made her way out of the office. Rather than head for the front door she went towards her bedroom instead. Her mind was in overdrive, and she came up with a rather hasty… and perhaps foolish plan. However the final product pleased her, as she slipped into her room.

Alder had been waiting outside the office. He had not even been noticed by the hybrid who he considered his master. This did not bother him, as he slipped into the study and retrieved the tray. He quickly made his way through the very empty house to the kitchen, were he deposited the tray in the sink. He could clean the dishes later. Then the half kitsune, half hebi youkia made his way to the spacious garage. He started the small purple car, and pulled it out in front of the house. He then left the vehicle, and stood by the passenger door… ready to open it for the last Rezei.

When she emerged he was mildly surprised. She was wearing a pale yellow yukata with a light purple obi. It had plum blossoms gently falling down the sleeves, and at the bottom. She had her black hair pulled up in a bun, secured with two hair sticks he immediately recognized. They were actually needles guised as hair sticks, given to her by her late father.

She was carrying a woven bag on one arm, and he saw within it was something white and pale green. "Where would you like to go, Noriyuune-sama?" he asked curiously, opening the passenger door for her.

"A festival," Noriyuune responded to her loyal servant. She saw one of his greying eyebrows raise, threatening to disappear in his greying, yellow-red locks. She just smiled at him, as she entered the car and watched him close the door.

He was around the other side of the vehicle in a flash, and soon in the driver's seat. "And where is this festival?"

* * *

Kagome moaned as she finished what she was doing. Now she had to change. She was helping out with the festival they were having at the shrine today. A festival was not a regular occurrence at her family shrine, but it did happen. Whipping a bead of sweat from her forehead, she made her way back to her house. Once there, she trudged up the stairs to her bedroom… doing her best to ignore her grandfather calling after her to get ready.

She rolled her eyes, before she fell gratefully forward onto her bed. She lay with her body half on the wonderfully soft mattress and blankets. Her eyes closed as she managed to relax for the first time all day. It was short lived, as her grandfather continued to call her.

"Kagome! Kaa-Go-Me!" the old man called from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm getting ready, Jii-chan!" she called back, pushing herself off her bed reluctantly. She mumbled to herself about how it was so inconvenient to live at a shrine, although she actually loved it. Still mumbling she found her dark blue hakama. Quickly dressing she then found her white ribbon which she used to tie her hair back. Absently she looked in her mirror before leaving her room.

Her nose wrinkled as she opened her door. _I do not look like her_, she told herself irritably, and left her room. She made her way down the stairs, and listened patiently as her grandfather went on about what she could and could not do, and old legends… as usual. She just nodded her head when required, and then went out to do as he asked.

She found it rather uneventfully. The most fun she could have while this festival was going on was to critique what everyone was wearing. This didn't bring much joy to her evening, and she constantly sighed. It wasn't until a little later that something actually caught her eye.

She saw a woman who seemed familiar. At first she was sure she was a teenager, until she recognized her. It was Rizei Noriyuune, and following behind her was a peculiar looking man with hair she was sure had once been a vibrant red. It was the man who really caught her attention. She immediately sensed a moderate youki, and traced it back to him. He was a youkia.

This was very unexpected. She didn't think there were any youkia left in the modern age. He looked like a normal ningen to, although her senses told her that wasn't true. _Maybe there have always been demons around, and I just never felt there presence before… my spiritual powers have increased, and that is why I can tell he is a demon, _she mused. She had to suppress a frown as she watched Noriyuune and the elder man from the corner of her eye. _What is a demon doing here? And why is Rezei-san with him?_

This troubled her, but she soon lost sight of the two. For the duration of the festival she glanced around to see if she could find them again.

* * *

"What is it you wish to do here?" Alder asked his mistress in a low voice. They were standing away from the festivities at the moment.

"I wish to speak with the Higurashi girl," she answered him carefully. "But it has to wait until this festival is over." She didn't really want to make the conversation public. "Hopefully she is skilled enough to have picked up your presence."

Alder was once more frowning in concern for the woman's safety. "Are you sure this is a wise decision?" the old demon went on. "If she is a priestess, would she not wish to purify us?" He was looking in Kagome's direction cautiously.

"I don't think so," the currently human woman shook her head. "I don't think she is one of _them_," her voice dropped into hissing whisper, "If she was… she would probably have noticed I was not human when she bumped into me… with her level of power." She licked her lips, also gazing in the direction of the teen. "And if she knew I wasn't human, and she belonged to them, we'd have been attacked by now."

This just caused his frown to deepen, eyes flashing around the area for any possible threat to the young Rezei's life. The ningen were beginning to clear, returning home as the night progressed. Still glancing around cautiously he moved farther into the shadows with the currently human woman. They did not want to be found out before they could get the young priestess on her own.

Alder looked down at the woman beside him. She was rather short, standing next to him. The top of her head didn't quite reach his shoulder. He was rather amazed at how short she was. Her father had been taller then him, and her mother nearly his height. She appeared very delicate standing next to him.

"What?" Noriyunne asked him softly, raising a thin eyebrow. She had glanced over at him to find he was looking down at her. He had a rather peculiar look on his face, which had caught her attention.

"Nothing Noriyuune-sama," He told her, "I was merely remembering your parents." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "We should move farther, some are looking our way." She nodded, and they moved deeper into the shadows till they could no longer be seen. "Why do you wish to speak with the girl?" Alder asked her after several minutes of waiting in the inky shadows.

Noriyuune smiled at him, but said nothing. He would find out soon enough. The two settled into a comfortable silence as they waited for the last of the humans to leave. She tensed when she saw an old man move in their direction. She had to assume he was Kagome's grandfather. When he turned and went back towards the house she let go of a breath she had not known she'd been holding.

She waited a few minutes more, and then stepped out from the shadows, looking cautiously towards the house. She knew Alder was following her without having to look back. Once she was out in the open she waited, prepared to slip back into the shadows should the old man reappear from the house.

* * *

Kagome sighed in relief as she trudged up to her room. The demon who had been with the Rezei woman now totally forgotten. She was tired, and just wanted to head to bed. She had to go through the well tomorrow, and needed all the rest she could get.

She moved to the window, grabbing hold of her curtains to pull them shut. A yawn made it's way out of her mouth, and her free hand came up to cover it. Her eyes were half lidded, as she pulled on the curtains. Half way through the motion she froze. Slowly she lowered her hand from her mouth. Her eyes were now wide and alert. Cautiously she turned her head slightly so she could properly look out the window. She couldn't see anything, yet she could feel the presence. So she stepped closer to the window, peering out into the dark. She knew this feeling vaguely. It was the same youki she had felt earlier. _Coming from the man with Rezei-san_, she thought.

A frown presented itself, as she finished tweaking the curtains shut. She waited a minute before switching the light off. Then she listened intently for the next ten minutes. Finally she moved towards her bedroom door, as the presence was still there. Very quietly she slipped from her room and carefully closed the door behind her. Then she began to creep down the stairs. She found her heart was pounding obnoxiously loud, and was sure someone would hear it. The steps creaked beneath her feet, and she stopped. She could hear her own blood rushing in her ears as she waited to see if the sound has been heard by anyone. When she heard no one, she allowed herself several calming breaths

The young miko was aware of why she was so nervous. She had believed there were no youkia left in her time. However she had discovered this was not so. Now she was going down to meet a _demon_ in _her_ time. It was a rather daunting thought, as she continued to creep towards the door.

Reaching the door without being noticed by her grandfather or her mother, she slipped her feet into her shoes one at a time. Looking back into the house she tried to calm herself again. Then she slid the door open, and stepped outside. She could immediately feel the youki was to the right of were she stood. Looking that way she slid the door shut, before she stepped away from her house. Cautiously she made her way towards the power.

She found she was only mildly surprised when she caught sight of Noriyuune standing by the older man. Absently she noticed the man was two heads taller than herself. Looking at Noriyunne she also noted she was taller than the woman. As she neared them she discovered something else as well. Rezei, Noriyunne was supposed to be thirty, but she looked barely older than herself. This woman looked at least twelve years younger than she was.

"Good evening, Rezei-san," she called softly when she was close enough to be heard. "What brings you to the shrine. The festival is over, as I'm sure you know."

Noriyuune smiled at Kagome. "Good evening, Higurashi-san," she returned the younger girls greeting. "I came to chat… if that is no trouble to you."

Kagome gave a small smile, "Well I can't turn you away, seeing as you've waited so long to chat." She looked briefly back at her house. "Please, call me Kagome."

Noriyuune smiled broadly. "How about we take a walk?" she asked, and when Kagome nodded, she turned. She was making her way farther from the house, while Alder remained somewhat behind. "I'm sorry for coming so suddenly… Kagome-chan." She added the honorific tentatively, waiting to see if the girl objected. When she did not, Noriyuune smiled. "Yuune."

Kagome blinked, and it took her a moment to understand. "Yuune…" She realized it was the second half of the woman's name, and this caused her to smile again. "Yuune… chan," she tested it out shyly, looking at said person as they walked. Yuune smiled at her, allowing her to relax. "What would you like to talk about?"

The business woman's smile faded slightly. "You're a miko," a statement. Kagome nodded anyway. "You can tell Alder is a youkia?" When she said this she looked back to the grey haired demon.

Kagome nodded, glancing back as well, "Yes."

"I am a demon myself… mostly," the female beside her stated.

Kagome looked back at Noriyuune with a start. "A Hanyou?" After all, Rezei Noriyuune felt very human to her. Inuyasha felt the same on the night of the full moon… that was the only explanation she could think of.

"No," came the hardened voice. There was a definite bite in the single word. "I am not even a quarter human."

"Oh," Kagome was taken aback. "Well… You don't feel like a demon," she explained, now very confused.

"Because I do have human blood, there is naturally a time when I am without my demon powers," was the blunt response. Her brown eyes turned to Kagome, and in the moons light they almost looked red.

The miko was silent for a time, before finally nodding in acceptance. "Why are you telling me this?"

Alder was listening more intently now. He wanted to know the reason for this as well. His eyes kept moving between the two women.

"You may be able to help me accomplish something," Noriyuune looked away with the words, her voice dry, before turning her attention back to the girl.

"And that would be?" Kagome asked softly, wondering what she could do for the woman... and why she seemed so distressed.

"To see my daughter again," It was blunt, and definitely not what Kagome had been expecting.

"To see your daughter again?" Kagome repeated. "How can I help you do that?" her voice was now barely more than a whisper, as she looked up at the stars rather than the strange woman she walked with.

Noriyuune had trouble hearing Kagome's words, with her currently ningen senses. When her mind fully registered what the miko had said, she bit her lip. Her feet stopped moving, and she looked determinedly at Kagome.

"The Bone Eaters Well."

The miko's eyes grew and, and she slowly turned to Noriyuune. "What do you know about that dry well?"

Noriyuune was silent for a time, regarding Kagome carefully. Finally she let out a soft sigh, "Can we go inside?"

Kagome had thought her question was being avoided, but noticed the woman shivering. She frowned, thinking of how she could explain Rezei Noriyuune being at the shrine to her mother. An idea occurred to her, and she nodded slowly. "I can make some tea," she said with a smile, before she turned back to lead her visitor back to the house.

Sliding the door open she stepped just inside. "Mama!" she called, and waited till she heard her mother come down the hall. "Um… This is Rezei Noriyuune…" She gestured to the woman behind her. "Her car broke down, and she needs somewhere to wait." She cast a glance at the woman, hoping she would play along with the story.

Noriyuune caught on to what Kagome was saying. easily, a smile forming on her face. "I would be very grateful, Higurashi-san, if you allowed me to stay here while Alder," and she gestured to the man behind her and slightly to the side, "Goes to get the other car."

Kagome's mother smiled with a nod. "Of course, It's no trouble at all," She beckoned the woman inside, before ushering them towards the living room. Alder looked after them a moment before he proceeded back down to the car so the false hood could not be revealed.

Kagome now sat across from Noriyuune at the coffee table. She was pouring a cup of tea for her guest. Thinking her mother was out of earshot she opened her mouth to speak, only to snap it back shut when they heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Kagome, I brought some snacks," came her mother's cheerful voice as she came into the room.

Kagome had had to hold back a sigh, "Thanks Mama." She managed to keep her annoyance at being interrupted from her voice.

"I'm going to check on Souta," her mother announced. Though the girl had kept the annoyance out of her voice, her mother could tell there was something Kagome wanted to talk to Rezei-san about, without her around. That said she placed the plate of snacks on the table, and then left the room to go upstairs.

Kagome finished pouring the tea, and handed a cup to Noriyuune. "You haven't answered my question," she stated simply.

"No, I suppose I haven't," was the woman's response. "I shall do so now," she went on, before taking a sip of the tea. She placed the cup back on the table, and then looked at Kagome. "I know in the past, long in the past, the well was used to dispose of the corpses of demons." She was carefully watching the teen, trying to gauge how she took the knowledge. "It was said that several days later the bones would disappear." There was the briefest hint of acknowledgement in the teen's eyes. "After discovering this I came to the conclusion the well bypasses the normal flow of time."

"How did you learn this?" Kagome questioned thoughtfully, her brow furrowed. She set down her own tea, in favor of snatching up one of the biscuits her mother had brought them.

"The company I work for has a facet to it not known to the regular people," Yuune began to explain, grabbing a biscuit for herself. "It looks into things like this, and issues to do with demons. All the stuff the general public no longer believe in," her brown eyes flashed as she explained this. She paused to sip at her tea again, before she continued. "I got records on the shrine from them, and after extensive digging I found this information."

The young miko was taken aback. This meant there were more youkia… and the world had not changed as much as she thought it had. It took her a moment to formulate her next question. "What prompted you to research the Higurashi shrine in the first place?"

"Bumping into you, when I first returned," Noriyuune shrugged as if there was nothing strange about that. Seeing the confused look on Kagome's face she went on. "I caught the scent of a Hanyou off you, and I could not smell where they were themselves. I knew you were human, so it perked my curiosity."

_Inuyasha_, the teen thought immediately, _she caught his scent coming off of me because he tried to stop me from leaving again_. She almost rolled her eyes as she remembered this. Turning her attention back to Noriyuune she carefully formulated her next question. "So you looked up the shrine, discovered the Bone Eaters well… and then assumed the scent you caught was related to it?"

"Yes."

The gears of her mind were working furiously as she tried to find the best thing to say next. Should she tell the truth or should she lie. "And how do you know it was not a Hanyou in the city you smelled?"

"It smelled canine to me. There are only three canine Youkia in this city and none of them have Hanyou children," the corners of the youkia's mouth twitched slightly at this. She was somewhat amused by the girls evasions. "All full Youkia and Hanyou are registered… for that matter…. Anyone with any drop of youkia blood is registered. I only had to go to the company and asked to see those registered in the city."

"Oh," Kagome said a little dumbly. She had been so neatly caught there. Alright, the next question. "How do you know the smell wasn't from a visiting hanyou?"

"Like I said, all those with youkia blood are registered. Not only are they registered, but their movements are watched. It's purely so We know who could be a threat… and who needs to be protected." Noriyunne shrugged, and took another sip of her tea. "Again, it was simply a matter of me going to the head office, and asking to see the records."

"And besides, if it was a Hanyou from this time I would have smelt their trail, not just the scent coming off you… as strong as it was the Hanyou should have been in the shrine vicinity," she went on, wrinkling her nose for a moment. Her eyes met Kagome's, and narrowed slightly. "Would you stop your Evasions, Kagome-chan? I didn't come to harm you, or force you to do anything."

The younger female regarded her carefully, before she let out a sigh. "The Hanyou you smelled is named Inuyasha. His a half dog Youkia. I released him from the seal he was under, pinned to the Goshinboku for fifty years. That's five hundred years before our era."

Noriyuune felt her heart leap. This was exactly what she was looking for! Well not exactly, but pretty much. "five hundred years?" she repeated, her voice hopeful.

Kagome blinked, wondering at the tone in her voice. "Yeah, five hundred years. On my Fifteenth birthday I was in the well house to get my cat. A Youkia pulled me into the well, and I found my self in feudal Japan." Her eyes remained trained on the woman across from her. She was looking at her tea, her eyes wide. "Yuune-chan," she said softly and waited for said person to look back at her. "How can the Bone Eaters Well help you see your daughter?"

Noriyuune's eyes fell again, and she stared sadly at her tea. "There is group of miko, monks and slayers with great power... some of it _unnatural_. They took it upon themselves to eliminate all demon blood." Her voice falter slightly as she continued. "They see no place for it in this era. That's why demons, and those kin to them, began to hide their true selves… These do _whatever_ it takes to eliminate the _taint_ of our kind from Japan."

"Five years ago they attacked my home. Many of our servants were less than half demon, so they survived the attack, but… they won't ever be the same. My family, on the other hand," her voice cracked, and she stopped to drink some tea, staring down at the cup for a moment afterwards. "We had no choice but to flee, as there were some in the attackers who possessed substantial reiki. Their attacks would render most of us empty shells, and kill some of us on the spot. While my daughter would have lived, I feared they may finish her off after hitting her. I heard of them doing so to some children… even some who were less than half Youkia."

She closed her eyes as she continued her story, hands turning white due to her grip on her cup. "I nearly fell, and my father stopped running. Many of the family had already fallen. He and a few others decided then to stand their ground. My father gave to me a pendant, and said it could save my daughter. Then he told me to run." As she spoke her voice gradually grew more distant, and it almost seemed as if she was speaking as a bystander, rather than someone who had been involved. "As I did so I looked back to see him fall taking an attack aimed at myself. Even so I could not stop, as my daughter was still in my arms. I tried to use my youki to help me escape... but it had yet to return to me in any amount that would have helped. So I ran under a bridge, and used the pendant to get my daughter to safety. She disappeared in a blinding light, and I had no choice but to keep running"

Kagome listened in a sort of horrified fascination to this tale. She found it hard to believe monks and the like being capable of doing such a thing. She couldn't find her voice though… which ended up being good, because Noriyuune was not finished yet.

"I began regaining my youki as I ran, slowly. By morning I had finally managed to shake off their purusuit. Soon after I realized I could not smell my daughter. I found myself in front of Fumetsu, and a sought help from them. They offered me protection, and I was sent to stay with one of them." She licked her lips, tea now forgotten. "A few days later they found Alder, and I asked him if he knew what the pendant was, hoping he would know as a confidant of my fahter's."

Her eyes opened once more, though they were distant. "Alder couldn't tell me, so I asked the company to help me find my answer. I discovered that the pendant was an item very much like the well, and it sent my daughter back in time around five hundred years. Since then I have been searching for a way to follow." When she finished she found her hands were shaking. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

This time was enough for Kagome to pull her senses back together. "I understand," she said a little hoarsely. She now knew why Noriyuune had come. "Yuune-chan," she began, and then had to stop to think. A frown creased her brow, as she looked at the woman who's eyes were so closed. "If it's possible for me to help you, I will. I promise. I'll do whatever I can to reunite you with your daughter," she was momentarily surprised by her own conviction. This surprise was wiped away when Noriyuune opened her eyes to look at her. She could see the woman had been fighting back tears… but she appeared to have them under control now. "I… I just don't know if you can go through the well to feudal japan."

Yuune smiled sadly, "That's okay. I have to try." The demon then looked at her cup of tea and took a small sip. It was cold, but she finished it off anyway.

Kagome nodded, and finished her own tea. She looked at her empty cup, and they fell into silence. Her eyes wandered to the tray of snacks her mom had brought, but she found she didn't really want anymore. After several minutes of the two of them just looking at various things around the room, Kagome decided to break the silence. "I'm going through the well first thing in the morning. You could try then."

Noriyuune looked up at the girl, and then nodded. She was about to speak when she heard Kagome's mother approach.

"Oh, Rezei-san, your car hasn't arrived yet?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

Noriyunne nodded, "No, Alder hasn't returned. May I use your phone? He ought to be back by now."

"Oh of course you can," was the woman's response. Noriyunne smiled and got to her feet.

"Thank you, Higurashi-san." She replied graciously. Kagome's mother continued to smile, and got the phone for her. She took the cordless phone and slowly dialled the number, turning her back to Kagome's mother.

The phone didn't even get halfway through it's first ring when she heard the clicking like sound that normally accompanied someone answering. Her mouth moved quickly, giving Alder instructions in a tone that could not be heard by humans. She could not even hear herself speak, but she knew she was, because he responded easily. When her quick orders were done she allowed her voice to raise. "No, Alder. It's not your fault. I forgot the other care was in the shop." She paused, and then spoke again. "A day? I'll have to call a cab then… No I will not call him at this time of night … No… I don't have any cash on me… hold on." She held her hand to the receiver, and turned her head to Mrs. Higurashi. "If it's not too much trouble, could I borrow some money for a cab? Our other Car is in the shop and won't be ready till tomorrow evening."

"Not at all," Mrs. Higurashi said, and was about to go off to get some money.

"Mama… why don't we let her stay the night. I know I wouldn't want to take a cab by myself after dark. Some of the drivers are a little… creepy."

The woman thought about that for a moment, and then turned back to Noriyuune. "Would you prefer to stay the night, Rezei-san? We have the room."

The demon made a show of contemplating that, and then gave her a smile. "That would be nice, Higurashi-san. I can call one of my Colleagues in the morning to pick me up. I don't have any meetings until later in the day… yes, that would be very nice." Kagome's mother smiled, and said she would go prepare the spare room. Noriyuune turned back to the phone and spoke with Alder briefly, before hanging up.

"Well, that went well," She said barely loud enough for Kagome to hear. She smiled, and turned to the teenager. "Thank you Kagome-chan."

Kagome smiled, "Don't mention it." The teen stood, and moved over to the young woman. "I'll get the room ready for you." She leaned closer then on hand on Noriyuune's arm. "You may want to call Alder and ask him to bring some supplies, if you haven't already." Her voice was low, barely loud enough to be heard. She stepped away then, her smile back in place. "I'll tell you when the rooms ready." And with that Kagome made her way upstairs.

The demoness looked after her for a time, before she went back to the front door. Slipping her feet back into her sandals she walked outside, moving away from the windows. There she stood in the chilly night, waiting.

Kagome stretched, before she looked around the room in satisfaction. "That should do it," she announced to no one in particular. She hadn't done much... but that wasn't the point. The teenager turned and left the room, making her way down the stairs. She turned around the corner into the living room, and then stopped, blinking.

Noriyunne was sitting at the coffee table like she had before, drinking her tea. She had the bag she had taken with her to the festival leaning against another, larger bag. Smiling at the girl she placed the cup back down. Kagome snapped out of her momentary stupor, and smiled back at her. "Yuune-chan, the room is ready. Would you like to turn in now?"

"Yes, thank you, Kagome-chan." The woman stood slowly, and then took hold of her two bags. She listened to Kagome's instructions on where the room was… which were rather simple. Then she went to the stairs and trekked up them. She turned and followed the short hall until she reached the door of the spare room. Then she slipped inside the room and closed the door. Letting out a sigh she dropped her bags and made her way to the bed. She was too tired to change, or really take in the room. Pulling her hair down she did little more than loosen her obi before she lay on the bed. She told herself she was just resting her eyes, that she would get up in a minute to change. It never happened. The demon fell asleep still laying over the covers.

* * *

A/N: And there is the second chapter for you! Quite a bit longer than the first. This covers the second chapter of the original, and the vast majority of the third chapter. Without all the extra stuff, this one is 6,976 words long.

Thanks for reading. Expect the next installment by September 21st~


	3. To go back III

One is All it Takes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha.

A/N: So here we have the third chapter as promised, if a bit later in the day than intended.

* * *

_**One is All it Takes -**__** To go back III**_

Kagome woke a few minutes before her alarm went off. Groaning she rolled over onto her side to check the time. There was no point in going back to sleep, but she could not make herself get up. Perhaps she would just lay in bed until it went off. Turning onto her back, the teen gazed sleepily at her ceiling, not that there was much to see. It was still relatively dark out anyway. She figured the sun was just breaking over the horizon, the light not yet enough to penetrate the fabric of her curtains.

_Inuyasha didn't come._

She had honestly expected him too, considering how she'd left so suddenly... when she'd only just gone back to feudal japan. Maybe it had been because they'd been fighting beforehand. She huffed in annoyance, remembering how ridiculously jealous the hanyou had been because of Kouga. There wasn't anything between her and the ookami youkia. Stupid Inuyasha

The teen was pulled from her thoughts when her alarm began to go off. It was a rather annoying sound, and she almost gave into the urge to toss the thing across her room. She managed not to when she remembered she'd just got the new clock, after the hanyou had ruined her old one. With a sigh, she grabbed the clock, turning it off before manuavering herself to sit on the edge of her bed. Kagome stared down at object in her hand. Quater to five in the morning... no one else in the house would be up yet. She sat there a moment, feet just touching the floor. Then she stood, stretching, before setting the clock back on her bedside table.

She'd already been back in this time for four days. It was a miracle Inuyasha hadn't turned up yet, even if they had been fighting. She didn't want to wait around for him to pull her back though. She'd rather go back on her own, so she had to do it quickly, even though she wasn't over the embarrassment that had brought her home this time.

* * *

"_The cat is adorable!" Kagome exclaimed, currently holding a drawing done by her kit companion._

"_Does she look familiar?" Shippo asked enthusiastically, looking up at Kagome. "She's supposed to be you. The story is about a love triangle between the cat, a two legged dog and a wolf man."_

_As he spoke she arrived at the picture of the pink cat jumping down into a well. She was aghast. "H-hold on a minute. Have you shown this to anybody else?" she asked, clutching the pictures to her chest, as if that would make them disappear._

"_I showed it to Kaedebaa-chan, and she said it was really good!" the Kitsune announced, grinning innocently._

"_So Kaede- knows why me and Inuyasha have been fighting?" The teen asked, her face now flushed in embarrassment.._

"_Yup. And I was so proud of them I showed them to the whole village! I got lots of compliments!" he kicked his feet leisurely, waving his crayon about. _

_Kagome laughed nervously, deciding she needed to get out of the village as quickly as possible. This was just too embarrassing! _

"_Is something wrong, Kagome?" Shippo asked, looking at her curiously. "You're all red."_

"_Uh... I just remembered, there's a festival at the shrine in three days... I have to go back home and help out!" She got hastily to her feet, taking the drawings with her. "I'll be back the day after. Tell Inuyasha, okay?"_

_Shippo blinked, then nodded a little dumbfounded. "Okay..."_

_Kagome barely heard his affirmative, as she rushed back outside and made her way as quickly as she could to the well, without breaking into a run._

* * *

Kagome winced at the memory. The whole village knew exactly why she had quarreled with Inuyasha... but she really couldn't afford to stay embarrassed. They had to find the shikon shards, and stop Naraku. And now she'd promised Noriyuune she'd do whatever she could to help the woman find her daughter. To do any of these things she had to go back through the well.

The teenager decided she should wake up Noriyuune soon, so they could attempt to make it seem she did leave with a colleague. It was probably best her family didn't know about Noriyuune Rezei being a demon... and she figured the woman wouldn't appreciate her getting them involved anyway. Nodding to herself she moved down the hall, and gently knocked on the door.

The other female jolted awake. She sat up straight, and looked towards the door.

"Yuune-chan, would you like to have a shower?" Kagome called through the door.

"Yes," was the woman's response, as she stood. Kagome told her were the bathroom was, and assured her that a towel would be waiting for her. Noriyuune thanked her, and Kagome made her way back to her bedroom.

She closed the door behind her, and went to sit on her bed, just wanting to think for awhile. Her thoughts ranged, from searching for the jewel shards, to her school work, to this new challenge. Finding Noriyunne's daughter. Could she handle so much? She was still going to school! Sighing she flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling once more. When she heard the shower start she pulled herself up again. Time she got ready herself, she supposed. Quickly she stripped out of her pajama's, and pulled her uniform on. Maybe she ought to find something more appropriate to were in feudal Japan soon. She'd already ruined two uniforms, and this one was looking rather worn out now... they weren't exactly cheap to replace.

With another sigh the teens eyes turned to her yellow monstrosity of a bag. "I better take this downstairs," she mumbled to herself, hefting her heavy backpack onto her back. Groaning because of the ridiculous weight she dragged herself over to the door and opened it once more. The black haired teen then trekked down the stairs. She walked over to the front door, and placed her bag down. Turning Kagome rolled one shoulder, and then the other. "Stupid bag," she mumbled, as she walked to the kitchen. Since they had to leave early, she thought she should make a small breakfast for them, and leave a note for her mother.

As she expected, the kitchen was empty. She couldn't really make anything fancy, as she didn't want to accidentally wake anyone, so the teen settled on toast, and an apple for each of them. As the toast popped out of the toaster, she heard the shower turn off, signaling that she'd be joined soon by the demoness.

She lightly buttered the toast, setting the slices down on two small plates, before grabbing two apples. As she turned on the water to clean them. she could barely make out the sound of someone descending the stairs. Soon enough she was aware of someone standing at the entrance to the kitchen. With a smile she turned her head to the woman. "Good morning, Yuune-chan."

"Good morning, Kagome-chan," the woman replied softly, returning her smile. She was now wearing a light blue kimono with green leaves decorating it, and a green obi. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a bun, two hair sticks visible in the strangely dry locks. Kagome couldn't help but wonder how Yuune's hair was dry, as she couldn't recall hearing a blow dryer. She noted that the rest of the woman's hair was pulled into a low pony tail, probably to keep it out of her way.

Yuune was holding a piece of paper in hand, which she set down on the table. "A thank you to your mother for her hospitality," she explained simply, as she moved to stand beside the girl. Before Kagome could wonder about the woman's intent, she found the apple and knife she'd been holding gone from her hands, Yuune deftly cutting it into even slices. The speed with which the woman sliced both apples was rather amazing to the girl... and she had to remained herself Yuune was not human.

She found a plate in her hands, as her companion seated herself at the table, her own plate in front of her. "Do you normally leave so early?" the question was soft, uttered a moment before the demoness bit into her toast.

She somehow knew she was actually being asked if she usually left before her family got up. "No."

Silence prevailed as the two quickly ate, and then washed the few dishes that had been made. That done, Kagome left her own note for her mother, before heading towards the front door.

Gathering her bags, which she had left just outside the kitchen, Yuune followed the teen. Still in silence, the two donned their shoes, and as quietly as they could manage, slipped out of the house. "This way," Kagome said softly, and lead the way towards the well house. Sliding the door open she stepped inside and went down the stairs to place her hand on the rough wood of the well. Slowly she turned back to Noriyuune. "Well… lets give it a shot," she said softly.

Noriyuune was standing beside her by now, and she nodded. With their begs hefted up over their shoulders they both climbed over the lip of the well "One… two… three.." the both said in unison, and then slipped down into the well. Moments later Kagome felt herself enveloped in the familiar light, and warmth that came with whatever magic allowed her to travel through time. Looking both to her right and left she found she couldn't see Yuune... it hadn't worked?

She supposed he had never really expected it to in the first place. No one could go through it but her and Inuyasha. Souta had tried, and so had Shippo. Between them she was positive the well would not work for others. Well… she wasn't absolutely positive. Once or twice she had wondered. Inuyasha had a reason to go through the well… sort of. To get her. And she had a reason to go through as well, to collect the shards of the Shikon no Tama. But Souta had had a purpose, and so had Shippo…

But neither of them would have been able to last in the other Era. She had wondered if that was why. But then she would remember she had been unable to go through the well when she did not have at least one Shikon shard with her. That was her purpose for travelling back five hundred years though… so maybe that was why.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that when her feet touched the ground the weight of her backpack startled her and set her off balance. She stumbled backwards, to be stopped by one hand on her shoulder, and another on her bag. "Easy there," someone spoke at her ear. She turned to see who it was.

Noriyuune stood there, her bags at her feet. She was looking at Kagome carefully with her brown eyes. Kagome blinked, a little surprised. "You made it through…." She breathed the words. She had made it through... so why hadn't she seen the other women while they were passing through the well?

"You didn't think I would?" The woman inquired, one eyebrow raised. Kagome had shaken her head, and she shrugged it off. She bent down to pick up the bags. "So, do you have any travel companions in this time, Kagome-chan?"

"Mmhmm, there's Shippo," she started, while she tried to heft her bag over the lip of the well. It was too heavy. Suddenly it was lifted from her hands, and she blinked, turning just in time to see Noriyuune gracefully rise to the wells rim. The woman disappeared for a moment, before one of her pale hands came over the edge and she smiled at Kagome. _She really is a demon_, she thought. Although the woman had been verbally convincing, she had doubted until now. Eyes widened to give her a sort of mesmerized look; she reached up and placed her hand in Noriyuune's.

No sooner did she feel Kagome's hand in hers then she pulled up and the girl was beside her. "You were saying?"

"Wha?"

The demon smiled, brushing some stray hair behind her ear. "Shippo is….?"

"Oh!" Kagome blushed in embarrassment, having forgotten all about the question. "Shippo is a kitsune, he's still a kit, and loves to play. And then there is the fire Neko, Kirara. Sometimes there is a demon flea by the name of Myoga who travels with us. He's Inuyasha's vassal, I think. Inuyasha would be the hanyou you smelled. He's a half Inugami demon. His father was an Inugami Diayoukai, or so I'm told." She stopped to take a breath, and heft her bag back up onto her back. She groaned at the weight, rolling her eyes.

"My father was a Diayoukia," her companion said softly, and she turned to look at her.

Kagome decided to continue, she didn't like the weight of sorrow the air had taken on. "There's also a demon slayer, by the name of Sango. Kirara is her companion. And last there is Miroku, he's a monk. Watch out for his right hand, he is definitely a letch." She laughed, and was relieved that she was joined in by the other.

Noriyuune smiled, though she was a little uneasy about a monk and a demon slayer. She couldn't help it; it was those sorts of people who had destroyed her family. Even so, Kagome was nice enough, and she was hoping these companions would be as well.

"Will you be traveling with us?" Kagome asked, snapping the other female out of her thoughts.

"yes, until I get more used to this time… if that's alright."

"Of course it is," Kagome nodded at that. "Come on, they'll be waiting down in the village."

* * *

Shippo looked down at what he was drawing, humming as he added a blue cloud. Kagome would be coming back today. He wondered why Inuyasha didn't go after her when she went home so soon. Maybe it was because they had been fighting. Or were still fighting. "I wonder when she'll be back," the boy mused aloud. Probably soon, he thought when he looked up at the sun. Excitedly he packed up his drawing stuff, getting to his feet to find the others. He found them all waiting at Kaede's hut, Inuyasha on the roof scowling up at the sky. As always.

"Kagome isn't back yet?" he asked, rushing up to Sango.

"No, she hasn't returned yet," Sango answered, Kirara mewing an affirmative from where she sat on Sango's shoulder. "I'd imagine she'll be here soon," the demon slayer went on to say, brushing some of her black hair off her shoulder. Hearing a low growl she glanced up at Inuyasha. "She had something to do at home, Inuyasha. We can't just pull her away from her family all the time."

Inuyasha jumped down from the roof, glaring at Sango. "It's not that!" he tried to defend himself.

"Well then what is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked sceptically, coming up behind Inuyasha to place a hand on the hanyou's shoulder.

Inuyasha growled before turning on Miroku. "There's another scent with Kagome's!" he shouted.

"Another scent?" Sango looked at Inuyasha with the same sceptical look Miroku had given him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Inuyasha barked, looking ready to strangle the next person who looked at him like that.

"Inuyasha's right," Shippo cut in finally. "I smell it too."

"Oh," Sango said, waving her hand apologetically at Inuyasha. "I wonder who it could be."

Inuyasha growled irritably, turning away from the rest of the group. "Smells human, but something isn't right..."

"What are you talking about, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked innocently. "They smell just like a normal human to me."

Inuyasha glared at Shippo, bringing his fist down on the Kitsune's head. "I'm telling you, something's off!"

"What's off, Inuyasha?" Kagome stood at the end of the path, holding the straps of her yellow back pack. She was looking at Inuyasha curiously. Next to her stood a woman, some of her black hair pulled out of her face in a half tail. She was wearing a blue Kimono, decorated with green leaves. Around her waist she had a green Obi and in one of her hands she held the strap to her own bag.

Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, but his eyes soon went to the new woman. "Kagome who is this!" he demanded to know, jumping in front of the two females. "And why is she here?"

Kagome glared at him, "Inuyasha... Sit." She was satisfied with the thud that came after. Looking down at the hanyou now on the ground, she gestured to the woman beside her. "This is Noriyuune-" but she didn't get any farther than that

Miroku had come up in front of the woman, taking one of her hands in both of his. "Fair maiden!" he began, "Would you consider bearing my chi-"

Noriyuune pulled her hand away from Miroku, glaring at him coldly. "I don't suggest you finish that," she said coolly.

Miroku froze, not used to getting such a look from a woman, aside from Kagome and Sango. He backed away, "My... my apologies Miss."

Kagome and Sango where both glaring at him, but Kagome went on. "Noriyuune is from where I come from. She came to the shrine for help. Something happened, and _her daughter_ ended up here." She emphasized the fact that Noriyuune had a child. "So she asked me to help find her. She'll be traveling with us for awhile."

Miroku looked taken aback. "Your daughter?" He appeared to be quite disappointed.

Yuune didn't bother to look back him. "Yes, my daughter." She turned then to Kagome, "Thank you again for your kindness, Kagome-chan."

Inuyasha had by now jumped to his feet, and had started to growl. "No!" He barked. "We don't need some useless woman. She'll just get in our way! We're hunting for the Shikon shards, and for Naruku!"

Noriyuune scowled at Inuyasha, who was insulting her as if she wasn't even there. However, she kept her cool. "The Shikon No Tama, you mean?" she asked innocently.

Inuyasha slowly turned to the woman. "How do you know about that?" If she was from Kagome's time, it didn't make sense that she would know about the Shikon jewel.

"How? Kagome-chan lives at a shrine. I heard the legend while visiting," was her simple response. "But what do you mean... Shikon _shards_?"

"You're not coming with us! It's none of your business," Inuyasha snapped back at her. "We don't have time to help you look for your brat! And even if we did, It's too dangerous for someone like you!"

"For someone like me?" The woman's eyes had narrowed once more. "Why, Inuyasha. You've barely even heard my name. I doubt you know what sort of a person I am."

"Oh yeah? I can tell by looking at you!" The hanyou growled.

Her two hair sticks flew from her hand, past Inuyasha's cheek. One grazed the skin, and then embedded itself with the other in a tree ten feet behind him. "Looks can be deceiving."

Inuyasha was dumbfounded for a moment. Then he let out an angry growl, cracking his fingers. He was getting ready to attack her, when Kagome stepped in... or rather, shouted in. "Sit!" And for the second time since Kagome had introduced the newcomer, Inuyasha was pulled down upon his face by the subjugation beads. Kagome sighed, before she turned her eyes back to Noriyuune. "Sorry about that." She gave the older female a smile. "That violent thug is Inuyasha," she went on. Inuyasha was pushing himself up as she spoke. "Sit," she said the word again, before she moved on to introduce their new companion to everyone else. "The monk is Miroku, and Sango is the demon slayer. The Neko on her shoulder is Kirara... SIT!"

Inuyasha was forced back down by Kagome's command. Shippo tried not to laugh at him. Instead he walked up to Noriyuune. "I'm Shippo," he said, pointing to himself. "It's really nice to meet you."

Noriyuune smiled at the Kitsune., "It is very nice to meet you, Shippo-kun." She turned her attention then to Sango, "And you, Sango-chan." She used the suffix tentatively, taking in the slayer's reaction to it. "Please, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Rezei Noriyuune, but you may call me Yuune."

Sango smiled back at the other woman, inclining her head to her kindly. "It's very nice to meet you, Yuune-chan."

"SIT!"By now everyone ignored the word, and the following slam to the ground. There was an Inuyasha shaped hole at this point. Kagome was the only one who even glanced in his direction now... which was more like a glare. She turned back to the others, giving them a warm smile. "So, Yuune-chan is going to be traveling with us for now."

Sango smiled at the woman, not having many objections. She was a little concerned if the woman could fight or not though. "Kagome... I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with Inuyasha. It might be too dangerous."

Noriyunne continued to smile, walking over to the tree to pull out her hair sticks. "You don't have to worry about me, Sango-chan. I know how to take care of myself. I'll only travel with you guys for awhile."

Miroku stepped forward then. "Worry not! I will do my best to protect the fair mai-"

There was a resounding crack, Miroku's head snapped back, and his cheek went red. Sango still held her hand up, ready to strike. She glared at the monk, before turning back to Noriyuune. "And I'll protect you from him." She shot another glare back at the monk, who sank away, face tuning a tad blue.

Inuyasha had finally managed to pull himself out of the ground, and get to his feet. There was no sit command from Kagome, so he remained silent, hoping in doing so Kagome wouldn't say that word. When he found himself still on his feet, even after Kagome looked his way, he sighed in relief. Still, there was no way he was going to have this woman travel with them. "She's not coming," he growled, once more disregarding his safety. "I already said. We don't have time to look for her brat!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome was glaring at the hanyou again. He turned towards her, his ears pressed to his skull. "Sit," and with the single word he was forced to eat dirt again. The teen then turned back to the rest of her companions. "Well, let's get going then." She gave a false smile, as she was still angry at Inuyasha. She sent another withering glare back at the now dazed hanyou, before she started off. The others looked at each other, before they followed after the teen.

Noriyuune had one brow raised, glancing at the hanyou, before she shrugged, and caught up with the rest of the group. Inuyasha might become somewhat of a nuisance, but she would manage. Hopefully she wouldn't have to reveal to the group that she was a youkia... at least for awhile. She'd rather keep that information to herself... even though she knew it might be smarter to bring forth her demon powers now that she was in feudal Japan. It just wasn't so easy to make that change though. She had been raised that way, always being told not to show any of her demonic powers. She had to appear as a human to all others. And to the best of her knowledge she had done that... or she had believed so. Until her home was attacked. For the last five years she could not shake the feeling that the attack had been because of her. What if really had been by some fault of hers that her family and all their servants had been killed?

"Yuune-chan, are you alright?" Sango had dropped back to walk beside the new addition to the group when she noted the woman looked troubled.

Yuune blinked, looking over at the Taijiya. Then she gave the woman a smile, "I'm alright... Just worried about my daughter."

"May I ask what her name is?" was the next question directed to her. Sango was now easily walking beside her, barely paying attention to the rest of the group. She was very curious of the woman who had so unexpectedly showed up with Kagome.

The demon in disguise blinked, having not expected anyone to ask that. Kagome hadn't. Then she smiled, a smile that was somewhat sad. "Rin." _Perhaps I was wrong to feel so wary of Kagome's companions,_ she thought, holding the smile on her lips a moment longer, before it fell. _This demon slayer, at least, seems to be kind hearted. Perhaps this is only because I appear human though. _She couldn't be sure of that however. She seemed friendly enough with Inuyasha... as friendly as one could possibly stand to be with someone like him. Inuyasha was hanyou though... so that could have something to do with it, couldn't it? No... thinking about it that didn't make much sense. Not when the taijiya was so comfortable with the fire Neko who was still sitting on her shoulder. "My father gave her the name, actually." She frowned at that. She could still remember it clearly. Why had her father been so adamant on the girls name... and then insist on having as little to do with her as possible?

Sango took in the woman's expression, a frown momentarily presenting itself on her own face. She quickly straightened her facial features, and refrained from asking any further questions about the strange woman, for the moment. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts now, so the demon slayer figured silence was the best course. So the two walked next to each other following the rest of the group.

Inuyasha had pulled himself from the ground again. He had intended to come up behind the infernal woman and intimidate her into staying in Kaede's village, still believing she would be nothing but a nuisance. However when he neared her, totally ignoring the fact that Sango was walking with her, he thought he smelt something strange. He had noticed it before, but after Kagome had arrived it had been pushed from his mind. There was something not quite... human, about this woman's scent. This was strange, she seemed human enough to him. Maybe she had come in contact with a demon and the scent still lingered on her. No... that didn't really make much sense. After all, she came from Kagome's time, and from what he had seen of the place... there were no Youkia. Which made the fact that her scent was... sort of off... even more confusing. Maybe he was just too tensed up. This woman had to be human, if she came from Kagome's time.

He glared at her back, before deciding to ignore her. Surely after she discovered how dangerous it was, she would decide it was simply not worth traveling with them. It would be a nuisance, but he would take her to the nearest village as soon as she realized this. At least then he would be rid of her, and not have Kagome yelling that cursed word. Yes, that was probably his best option at the moment... even though he would be burdened with protecting another useless woman in the meantime. The hanyou bit back a growl, shooting one last growl at the woman, before focusing his attentions on where they were going.

Kagome didn't seem to be picking up on any Shikon shards at the moment. What was more, they didn't have a clue where Naraku could be right now. So basically... though he didn't want to admit it... they were wandering rather aimlessly, hoping to get lucky. Why didn't they go after that disgusting wolf? They already knew he had two jewel shards! Why were they wasting their time with no direction, when it would be more worth it to go after the two jewel shards the wolf had in his legs? This time he could not keep back his annoyed growl, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the ground.

Noriyuune looked back when she heard the low growl coming from the silver haired hanyou. She regarded him curiously, before Sango brought her attention away from him.

"Don't worry about Inuyasha," she said in a whisper, as if that would keep the hanyou from hearing her. "He's always like that. Most of the time he's all bark and no bite."

The demon in disguise looked back at the young woman next to her, though she saw Inuyasha's ears twitch from the corner of her eye. She decided to ignore him. "I can see that," she responded to the woman in the same sort of whisper. She half expected Inuyasha to speak up, seeing as they were pretty much openly insulting him. From what he understood of his character, he wouldn't stand for it.

She wasn't disappointed, as the hanyou jumped in front of the two, glaring at them and holding up his fist menacingly. "All bark and no bite? I'll give you bite!" he barked at them, before he realized the rest of the group had stopped as well.

"Sit"

* * *

"You know, you really didn't have to stay behind with me," Yuune was saying, looking down at the kit who was walking beside her. It was currently just her and the kit. The rest had gone on ahead, into what honestly had looked like a trap set by whomever this Naraku was. They went knowing this. It had only been a day now since she'd gone through the well with Kagome... and she'd had to more or less avoid being alone with the hanyou during that time. He looked for every opportunity to 'cart her off' to the nearest village. In fact, when she had said she didn't want to be involved in their personal conflict, he'd once again tried to drag her away.

She'd very nearly unleashed her youki when he'd advanced on her, but Kagome had called his name. The tone in her voice was enough to make the hanyou stop in his tracks. Of course, they all then went on about how they couldn't just leave her alone, it was too dangerous. She'd tried to tell them otherwise, but Miroku and Sango had both insisted one of them stay behind with her.

As they had argued about it, the poisonous insects slipped out of sight. With an exasperated sigh, she'd told them if they were going to go they would have to make it quick, before they lost the trail. That had earned her an annoyed glance from the Hanyou, who then demanded Kagome get on his back, before he rushed off. However the Slayer and Monk remained, with the Kit. Finally shippo had turned to the adults, saying he would stay so that they could catch up with them later. Reluctantly the two humans had left on Kirara's back.

"I don't mind," Shippo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and her eyes refocused on him. He was looking ahead, as the two walked at a leisurely pace.

"If you say so, Shippo-kun," she murmured, eyes turning forward. She thought back to the encounter that had more or less led to this chain of events. A group of theives had tried to ambush them, before a demon bear had pushed through the trees. It easily fell to the attacks of the group, and a glowing shard had been removed by those bugs from ealier. She supposed that had been a shikon shard.

Shippo looked up at her, before pulling on her kimono to get her attention. "Um... I'm curious. Why were you so sure you would be fine on your own... and you could follow everyone at your own pace? Do you have spiritual powers like Kagome and Miroku or something?" She looked back down at the child. She had insisted she could follow them, in an attempt to end the argument... which hadn't worked. Now she wished she'd kept her mouth shut.

She had to tell him something... something believable. Maybe if she told him to keep a secret she would be able to tell him the truth. She moved over to a tree to sit down. "If you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you, Shippo-kun. You especially can't tell Inuyasha."

Shippo frowned, looking at her carefully. "I can't even tell Kagome?"

The woman smiled, "Kagome already knows part of it."

The kit blinked, before tilting his head and crossing his arms, thinking carefully on what the woman had said. "alright, I promise I won't tell anyone. Especially not Inuyasha." He grinned, because this would mean he knew something Inuyasha didn't.

"Well you see... Inuyasha thinks that were Kagome comes from, there are no demons. This isn't true. Demons hide themselves because there are those among humans with enough power to eliminate the demon race." She watched how the kit reacted as she spoke. "Hanyou's aren't as despised either. In fact Youkia mating with Ningen is rather commonplace. Thus a large variety of human demon crosses are present, all of whom hide their demon sides to appear as human." She reached up to pull out one of her hair sticks again. "My father was a foreign Daiyoukia, and my mother was a hanyou who also came from another land. I inherited more youkia blood from my mother than human, so I'm more demon than Inuyasha." She grinned at the wide eyes of the child. "Here, I'll show you something small... I don't want to unseal to much of my demon blood, since Inuyasha's nose is so keen it's likely he will smell it."

Shippo watched her with ever wider eyes. His eyes moved to the needle as she pulled on the thick end of the hair piece. It came away from the rest of the wood, a metal needle attached to it. "My mother was a sort of snake hanyou." She said as she finished pulling the needle away from the rest of the hair piece... almost like unsheathing a tiny sword. She opened her mouth running the end of the needle between one of her now apparent fangs. She looked around, spotting a hole that was probably some small animals home. She stuck the needle into the ground near the hole. "I can change the... strength of my venom to suit my needs. Right now It's not strong enough to kill anything, but..." and as she spoke a few animals rushed out of their home. "It will cause enough discomfort for alarm."

Shippo looked at her with even wider eyes. "So you have a good sense of smell too?" That would explain why she said she could follow on her own, and why she was sure she would be fine. He saw her nod, "I see... I didn't really need to stay then."

"I would have to unseal more of my demon blood to use my sense of smell to follow Inuyasha," The woman said simply. She pulled the needle out of the ground and cleaned it off, before slipping it back into the wood. She placed the hair stick back in her hair, smiling at the young demon. "You staying behind works out better for me. I am a little surprised though, that you are not afraid of me."

Shippo smiled, "You're a lot nicer than Inuyasha, and Kagome trusts you." The kit said simply. He would have to use his nose after all though, seeing as Noriyuune preferred to keep her demon blood sealed. "We should start after everyone now," he said, beginning to sniff the air. She nodded in response, and they soon set off again.

She and the kit traveled in relative silence, until she thought she caught sight of a structure through the trees. It seemed Shippo had seen it too, as he came to a stop, looking at it. Looking at eachother for a moment, they both changed directions, moving around the few trees between them and the structure. It was an old, run down shack. "Why don't we take a break, Shippo-kun," she murmured, moving towards the building. The group couldn't be all that far away from here now. "I'm sure wherever they are, they'll be able to find us here anyway."

"Your right, they probably aren't far," Shippo had begun, before he went rigid. The child's head turned back towards they direction they'd been traveling.

"What's wrong?" she asked him after a moment, a frown forming on her face.

"I smell blood," the kit murmured. "Wait here!" Then he bolted off through the trees.

"Shippo-kun!" she called after him, though she didn't move from where she was standing. Her frown depened. Did she go after, and probably expose what she was... or did she wait for the group to return. Biting her lip, she carefully considered her options, before deciding it was best to stay where she was and wait. With a sigh, she moved to the building, looking through the open doorway. It was small... though she was sure she and the other two women could fit comfortably inside for the night, with Shippokun. The men would have to sleep outside. If they decided to stay here, anyway.

The day was nearly gone, so she supposed that was the most likely outcome. Should she make a fire? She wasn't sure it was wise, considering she couldn't be all that far away from this supposed enemy of the group. Did she want to attract attention to herself?

Not when she'd barely just arrived in this time. No fire. It was for the best. This in mind she set her bags inside, and settled herself against the side of the building, her eyes moving in the direction Shippo had disappeared to. How long would she have to wait? With a sigh, she leaned her head back, eyes slidding close. Though she didn't mean to, the demoness soon dozed off.

* * *

She was startled awake when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Instantly the woman was on the defensive, her own hand swatting away the one that had touched her, before she pushed away from the building, rolling to the side. She was soon on her feet, a low growl rumbling in her chest, eyes narrowed, pupils slits, and claws extending from her fingers. Her eyes instantly fixed on the intruder, though she could hardly make it out at the moment. Having only slightly unsealed her blood she couldn't see well in the night. _I can't believe I fell asleep... how could I let my guard down enough for this one to get close! _She admonished herself bitterly.

There was a chuckle from figure, and her growling faltered. Her eyes widened in confusion, though she didn't retract her claws.

"Noriyuune-sama."

The voice was clearly male, though this didn't surprise her. The size of the figure had told her that much. The barely recognizable hiss to it didn't surprise her either really. What did surprise her was the way she'd just been adressed. Her frame relaxed, if only from sheer shock. "Alder?" she murmured, the question barely present in her tone. While at first glance she appeared quite at ease, her fingers twitched occasionally. Her eyes were also narrowed once more, and she had yet to force her demonic blood back down. Until she was sure of the demon's identity, she had to be ready. Her lips remained slightly parted, some venom dripping from the hollowed fangs that had formed once more, mixing with her saliva.

"Of course," the hissing voice came again, and she could clearly pick out the familiar tone of it now. The body before her turned before the sharp face of her servant, and loyal friend, came into view. He wasn't bothering to hide his demon features and was now dressed in a dark green yukata, dark brown hakama, and a green haori. She could also see the hilts if a katana and a wakizashi. Where he had gotten them… she hadn't the slightest clue. His hair, which she was sure had once been red, was a faded orange-ish blond now, speckled with grey. It had been pulled back into a high ponytail, though it still hung several inches past his shoulders. The style revealed his pointed ears, each of them tipped brown. Below each of his eyes were brown markings, accentuating the tip of his cheekbones. His eyes were what really made her think demon, though. They were a vibrant… almost synthetic green, with narrowed pupils that clearly resembled those of a snake. The slitted pupils were lined with a brownish gold, which she knew must come from his Kitsune blood. Then there was, of course, his tail, which was practically the same shade as his hair, without the grey. It was longer than that of any fox she had ever seen in the wild, and it was not as bushy either. Very different from the tail that Shippo had, which she thought was simply adorable. Alder's tail was no such thing, rather it looked powerful, and in a strange way it somehow reminded her of a snake. Probably because of the way he had coiled it around the sheaths of his two weapons.

Admittedly it was her first time seeing him in his true _humanoid_ demonic form. But there were other things she should be doing, rather than taking in his altered appearance. "Alder… why did you follow me?" she asked him softly, though there was a slightly annoyed edge to her voice.

"It's my duty to serve you, Noriyuune-samma," the male demon said simply. "I took care of your remaining business as instructed, and then followed your scent to the dry well." As he spoke he crossed his arms, and she was sure there was an admonoshing tone in his voice. He was clearly upset she'd left without him. "I could not leave you to accomplish your goal on your own." As he spoke, he looked around the area, a frown forming on his face. He had thought she'd been with Kagome, but teenager was no were to be seen. With a sigh he turned his eyes back to her. "And you forgot to bring the proper currency," he reached into the sleeve of his shirt, pulling out a bundle of something, which mad a sort of clinking sound. Holding it up, he shook it lightly so it clinked louder. Coins. His lips had formed into a crocked upward line, signifying his slight amusement at his lady's forgetfulness.

Noriyuune stared at the bag for several long minutes, before she laughed. Of _course_ she had forgot to bring money. It had, after all, been a spur of the moment decision to go with Kagome in the morning. But now she had a problem. Alder was a full demon, and no matter how much he suppressed this, Inuyasha would still smell it off of him. She needed to come up with some sort of solution for this… but she didn't have any ideas. Taking her eyes off her long time servant a friend she looked in the direction the others had went with a sigh. She tried to think of something, but kept drawing a blank, and after several long moments she turned her gaze back onto her servant. "I appreciate your concern and loyalty, Alder," she started softly. "But… there is a Hanyou in Kagome-chan's group. He'll be even more suspicious of me with you around… I don't want him to know of my own youkia heritage yet."

"Then I'll have to appear as quite harmless."

His voice was amused, and full of confidence. She found herself growling again, even as she was trying to force her youkia blood back down. If she allowed it out for any longer, Inuyasha would surely smell it as well.

"How will you do that?" She asked him snappily.

"Like this," he replied simply, and she was left, watching in awe, as the form of the man in front of her gradually began to change. Since when was her servant capable of this? She was struck with a realization that was slightly disturbing.

She had no idea what her own servant was capable of.

* * *

A/N: And there is the third chapter. And again, it's longer than the last. More changes in this one compared to the last two... and as a result the fourth chapter, which will 'catch up' with the old story is going to have some fundamental differences as well. Anyway, without all the other stuff, this chapter is 7,425 words long.

expect the next chapter early sunday 29th, as I work the saturday and won't be home until quite late.


End file.
